Why Bmpcc 4k price increase in Canada?

I noticed all of the dealers I check have raised the list price from $1749 to $1839 since the start of the year. If anything our dollar has been going up so relative to exchange rate it should be less. $1687 is the number I got when I punched in the exchange rate and $1295 US. Local taxes on top of this of course.

Curtis, are you sure you not appearing to be located in Australia. An exchange rate of $1.42 CDN to the USD can’t possibly be the reason if BMD hasn’t adjusted US costs. Call some of those vendors and ask what is happening?

Hi Curtis,

If the difference is CAN$150, maybe just buy from a U.S. vendor. B&H is keen on sales to Canada and there are probably others. On the import you will just pay your regular sales tax, no duty.

I noticed all of the dealers I check have raised the list price from $1749 to $1839 since the start of the year. If anything our dollar has been going up so relative to exchange rate it should be less. $1687 is the number I got when I punched in the exchange rate and $1295 US. Local taxes on top of this of course.

I think any large Canadian bank will grant you an account in USD currency, RBC/TD, then your biggest problem would be paying the Provincial Tax like (QST) and GST as I think the gear is covered by NAFTA or was so you might not need a customs broker. - But the reason for the price hike is sheer avarice from vendors to low budget film makers. They charge so much because they can. So when you buy this "grey market" nobody is going to care at all, since there is no real warranty or support unless you get an outright lemon of a camera, so it's the best formula to go with - I'm certain if you look around you might find even better deals in places like India or the Phillipines.

I have a US Dollar account with TD Canada Trust because I have income from the United States. Very few Canadian retailers will accept payment in US dollars anyway as their accounting and business taxes are always in Canadian dollars. There are exceptions like Annex Pro. Sadly I noticed even Annex Pro has adjusted their conversion to $1.42 CAD which is about 6% or 7% what it could be before these hikes.

NAFTA 2.1 has been approved by Mexico and will be signed by Trump next week. Canada’s executive council cannot approve until they approve changes to legislation to incorporate the recent 2.1 changes required by the US. So the new agreement between all players may not come into force until May according to a recent news article.

The NAFTA only applies to goods made or substantially made in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. It has no bearing on Blackmagic cameras.

I talked to a popular a Canadian dealer today about my concern with the sudden increase in prices at their store and other stores I’ve checked. They’re typically now about $1.42 CAD to the USD when last year typical differences would be around $1.33-1.35 CAD to the USD. A part of the difference on some items such as computers is that there is a recycling fee on Canadian machines that may not be charged in the US.

The employee tried to explain what might have caused the difference and told me I should contact their head office accounting department. I think just ‘voting’ with your feet is a better option.

Luckily the BMD Video Assist 12G 7” was still priced at the old price at $1.35 CAD (whereas other vendors had bumped the price) and I finally bit the bullet and purchased it before the store bumped that price too. They had bumped the BMPCC4K price.

The employee also referred me to another local store for some bits they didn’t have. The second store happened to have a sale on the Bright Tangerine Titan Supporting Arm with quick releases so I finally had a good excuse to pick that up from them. The cost for all pieces in Canada was less it would have been buying in the US, so effectively my ‘exchange rate’ was $1.28 CAD or better. A good day to go shopping after all.

The second store salesman told me the BT Titan was overkill (since it supports 8Kg) but I like the feature that allows me to move the monitor without having to release the lock.

I just don't get the seemingly universal adjustment to an effective exchange rate of 1.42. That is not reflected in any real exchange rate, if anything the dollar is stronger than at any point last year. The actual rate is 1.3 add 5 points for bank or credit card exchange charges and you come up with the same hard price as last year.

The good news is that the increases aren’t the same across the board for all vendors. I think the many of the smaller vendors have not changed their prices which will make them more competitive. That why I went for the Bright Tangerine Titan Support Arm with dual quick releases at a very good deal from a smaller vendor. I remember vendors in Canada have done this before. Inexplicably changing prices might work for awhile, but consumers may just need to look for alternatives when it happens.

I even found a good deal on the Metabones PL->mFT BMPCC4K Ultra but the piggy bank is empty now... with funds set aside for the newer Mac Pro.

The NAFTA only applies to goods made or substantially made in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. It has no bearing on Blackmagic cameras.

Sorry for the confusion, I though NAFTA covered goods like computers or other complex electronic devices, like a BM camera. I though it was cool as I travel to QC once in a while and was told that all that was okay.

I though it was cool as I travel to QC once in a while and was told that all that was okay.

It is cool. There’s no problem with you taking your camera to Canada, but the NAFTA has nothing to do with it.

I though it was cool as I travel to QC once in a while and was told that all that was okay.

It is cool. There’s no problem with you taking your camera to Canada, but the NAFTA has nothing to do with it.

Oh I though the reason why I don't get bad treatment at the border is because I go into CA for journalistic practice outside of CA etc. - CBSA is always like - this gear is professional - are you doing work. .

But methinks NAFTA is no longer the applicable standard since the whole deal was re-done.

Oh I though the reason why I don't get bad treatment at the border is because I go into CA for journalistic practice outside of CA etc. - CBSA is always like - this gear is professional - are you doing work. .

But methinks NAFTA is no longer the applicable standard since the whole deal was re-done.

Yes, Canadian border officials may ask if you are going to work in Canada and, if so, who is paying you. It’s about whether you intend to work in Canada illegally. Neither the NAFTA nor the USMCA, which will replace the NAFTA, have a bearing on this. There are NAFTA/USMCA provisions that give special treatment to a small number of professions, but journalism isn’t one of them.

The NAFTA and USMCA are about trade in goods made or substantially made in the three countries. With some limited exceptions, they are not about labour. In other words, the NAFTA/USMCA relationship between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. is not like the European Union. If the NAFTA/USMCA gave a right to work, there wouldn’t be the issue that exists at the U.S./Mexico border.